The invention relates to water discharging toys and amusement devices such as “sprinkler toys” and toy water guns, and more particularly to water guns mounted on a stand or continuously supplied with pressurized water via a hose.
Toy water guns have evolved to include many types, ranging from relatively small devices with a finger actuated pump to devices in which water is stored under pressure, to be released via a trigger actuated valve in a high volume, high pressure stream. U.S. Pat. No. 2,678,753 (Hersey) provides an example of the former, while U.S. Pat. No. 5,305,919 (Johnson et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,799,827 (D'Andrade) exemplify the latter. Other water guns, such as those shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,135,559 (Bamby), U.S. Pat. No. 4,257,460 (Paranay et al.) U.S. Pat. No. 4,867,208 (Fitzgerald et al.),U.S. Pat. No. 5,366,108 (Darling), U.S. Pat. No. 5,373,975 (Husted), and U.S. Pat. No. 6,234,347 (Amron et al.) include means for charging a reservoir with pressurized water through an intermittent connection to a garden hose. U.S. Pat. No. 6,474,507 (Hornsby et al.) discloses a water gun in which a reservoir may be charged through intermittent connection to a garden hose, and which may alternatively be operable while connected to a garden hose, such that intermittent refilling of the reservoir is unnecessary. While no mention is made in the Husted and Amron specifications, it appears the devices disclosed may be capable of operating while connected to a hose, in addition to storing a pressurized charge for separate use.
Sprinkler toys and decorative lawn sprinklers range from devices that connect to a garden hose and simply spray water outward and/or upward, to more elaborate devices that further utilize the force of pressurized water from the hose to operate a variety of amusing mechanisms. Examples are found in U.S. Pat. No. 2,611,645 (Forman), U.S. Pat. No. 2,046,225 (Vickery), U.S. Pat. No. 2,087,175 (Voight), U.S. Pat. No. 4,205,785 (Stanley), U.S. Pat. No. 4,235,378 (Melin et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,787,875 (Baron et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 5,224,652 (Kessler), U.S. Pat. No. 5,338,044 (Mazursky et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 5,403,018 (Sejnowski et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,546 (Ogie et al.). Other garden hose connected toys include user manipulated nozzles, guns or the like that allow players to actuate and/or direct a discharge of water. Examples are found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,550,876 (Kulesza), U.S. Pat. No. 5,111,993 (Baker), U.S. Pat. No. 5,934,563 (Gapco) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,082,633 (Kephart et al.). Also known in the art are game apparatus which connect to a hose and selectively discharge water at players, such as devices disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,263,714 (Rudell et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,470,082 (Clayton). Other garden hose connected games include nozzles, guns or the like with which players discharge water either at targets, as in U.S. Pat. No. 3,843,127 (Lack), U.S. Pat. No. 4,165,073 (Kellerstraus) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,779,240 (Santella), or at other players, as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,113,259 (Sands) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,751 (Senart). Santella includes a gun connected by a flexible hose to a frame that supplies water, but the gun is not supported by the frame. Sands and Senart disclose sprayers centrally located on a game board. Sands does not allow elevation angle adjustment or a include trigger on its movable nozzle portion. Senart's game board does not include an integral garden hose connector or associated conduit. Nor does it include integral azimuth or elevation adjustment members for movably supporting a nozzle. Rather, a garden hose is fed through a sleeve in the middle of the game board and a hose sprayer is directly attached to the threaded hose end. The hose is “slidably accommodated” in the sleeve in order that the sprayer may be lifted and randomly manipulated by game participants, similar to the gun of Santella '240.
Arcade games are known in which water guns are permanently attached to the larger structure of a game apparatus. Such game apparatus typically use motorized pumps and permanent plumbing to pressurize and recirculate a self contained supply of water, and to supply the water gun therefrom. Many of these games include pistols attached to the larger apparatus only by a supply hose. The supply hose typically attaches to the pistol at the bottom portion of a handgrip, in fluid communication with a passage through the gun body and a nozzle at the opposite end of the gun. Examples are found in U.S. Pat. No. 1,499,875 (Rosenheim), U.S. Pat. No. 3,336,030 (Martell et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 3,342,492 (Barrett) and U.S. Pat. No. 3,572,712 (Vick). In some game devices, a water gun is supported on the larger apparatus such that the gun may be pivoted for aiming in both azimuth and elevation. Typically the gun's range of motion is restricted to the general direction of the game target. U.S. Pat. No. 1,526,341 (Jeans) discloses such an apparatus wherein several guns are pivotally mounted on the main structure of the apparatus. Each gun has a handgrip and trigger mounted rearward of a pivoting bracket. The bracket attaches the gun to the main structure. The trigger is connected by a mechanical linkage to a valve depending from the gun forwardly of the pivoting bracket. The valve is supplied with pressurized water from the larger apparatus via a pipe which depends from the valve, also forwardly of the mounting bracket. U.S. Pat. No. 2,285,292 (Mangels) discloses a similar gun in which the gun's trigger is an electrical switch which closes an electrical circuit to actuate a motorized pump, located externally of the gun, to thereby force water to the gun's nozzle. The gun has a rear mounted handle adjacent the electrical switch. The gun is mounted to the main structure of the game apparatus by a bracket having pivoting horizontal and vertical adjustment functions similar to those of Jeans '341, but a water supply pipe runs centrally up through the bracket. Similar apparatus are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,439,230 (Mendes) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,573,243 (Bartosik).
Many irrigation devices are known which are intended for connection to a garden hose and in which a rotary sprinkler head is elevated on a tripod, ground penetrating spike or similar stand. These devices generally are intended to broadcast water while unattended and thus do not require or provide means for an operator to aim or trigger the discharge. Examples are found in U.S. Pat. No. 1,368,416 (Thomas), U.S. Pat. No. 1,685,165 (Keys), U.S. Pat. No. 2,694,600 (Richey), U.S. Pat. No. 4,789,099 (Hager), U.S. Pat. No. 4,824,020 (Harward), U.S. Pat. No. 5,439,176 (Bussiere) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,322,027 (Hsu). Other irrigation and spraying devices include means for elevating a fixed sprinkler head or hose nozzle. Some include water valves and/or directional adjustments, but such features are not intended or adapted for continuous manipulation of aim or triggering. Examples are found in U.S. Pat. No. 544,928 (Patterson), U.S. Pat. No. 619,647 (Wetherby), U.S. Pat. No. 925,680 (Burns), U.S. Pat. No. 973,810 (Regan), U.S. Pat. No. 989,386 (Miller), U.S. Pat. No. 1,156,474 (Gifford), U.S. Pat. No. 1,637,523 (Hamilton), U.S. Pat. No. 2,711,927 (Miller et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 2,792,257 (Davis), U.S. Pat. No. 3,599,917 (Schwartz), U.S. Pat. No. 4,800,916 (Lakey) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,241,163 (Bremer). U.S. Pat. No. 3,012,731 (Williams) discloses a hose directing device adapted for continuous manipulation of discharge direction. The device is not freestanding and does not include a “triggered” valve.
Fire fighting nozzles and the like are often supported on devices adapted to allow adjustment of horizontal and vertical direction. Typically such devices are relatively heavy machinery permanently mounted on a fire truck, cart or other vehicle as in U.S. Pat. No. 112,969 (Shaw), U.S. Pat. No. 240,602 (McGaffey), U.S. Pat. No. 250,566 (Lynch), U.S. Pat. No. 311,905 (Logan), U.S. Pat. No. 441,697 (Prunty), U.S. Pat. No. 1,583,772 (Blaw), U.S. Pat. No. 1,835,132 (Anania), U.S. Pat. No. 2,593,921 (Robinson), U.S. Pat. No. 2,698,664 (Freeman), U.S. Pat. No. 2,998,199 (Miscovich), U.S. Pat. No. 3,010,519 (Gillespie), U.S. Pat. No. 3,989,109 (Gagliardo), U.S. Pat. No. 4,058,256 (Hobson et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,535,846 (Gagliardo et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,179,216 (Panhelleux). Directional adjustments are generally accomplished via gear trains, hand cranks, motors, and/or positioning of the vehicle. Water flow is typically controlled from a separate device or location. U.S. Pat. Nos. U.S. Pat. No. 4,674,686 (Trapp) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,425,505 (Jones) disclose ground standing frames supporting fire fighting discharge heads. In both devices the direction of discharge may be adjusted vertically by a hand crank and horizontally by separate means. The frames do not appreciably elevate the discharge heads and no flow controls are provided. U.S. Pat. No. 139,550 (Cronin), U.S. Pat. No. 1,674,693 (MacGregor) and U.S. Pat. No. 2,501,639 (Warren) disclose nozzle supporting devices that allow operators to directly manipulate the direction of discharge. No flow controls are provided. U.S. Pat. No. 807,184 (Malnburg) discloses a tripod mounted nozzle and includes a lever for manipulating discharge direction. The tripod includes a water fitting with a shutoff valve. The movable nozzle does not include a trigger or other flow control. U.S. Pat. No. 1,738,421 (Corley) discloses a nozzle and pipe assembly on a portable stand. The direction of discharge is adjusted by grasping and moving the nozzle or pipe forward of the stand. The movable portion includes a shut off valve, but does not include a trigger or a normally closed valve.
Portable showers, wash basins and drinking fountains are found in numerous references. These typically include a ground standing base having some form of vertical riser, a water inlet including a garden hose connector, and a valve for controlling water flow between the water inlet and an outlet. The devices generally do not require or provide for significant adjustments in water discharge direction. Examples are found in U.S. Pat. No. 1,962,840 (Rives), U.S. Pat. No. 2,631,062 (Tiedemann et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 3,113,723 (Arnt), U.S. Pat. No. 3,497,140 (Puegner), U.S. Pat. No. 3,982,284 (Becker), U.S. Pat. No. 5,502,848 (Cowan), U.S. Pat. No. 5,820,472 (Briggs) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,996,142 (Colman).
Cleaning devices often employ jets of high pressure water. In some devices a spray nozzle is incorporated in an elongated hand held gun. A garden hose or other pressurized supply hose is commonly attached to a rearward handle portion of such guns, or a supply hose may be otherwise connected to the gun. Examples are found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,807,586 (Kao), U.S. Pat. No. 5,199,642 (Rankin), U.S. Pat. No. 5,66,558 (Ichel) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,131,831 (Lawrence). Other devices include a nozzle supported by a brace or stand. Examples are found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,058,259 (Schantz) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,988,063 (Pucillo). Schantz's brace requires that one end or the sprayer rest on the ground and affords no directional adjustment other than repositioning of the stand. Pucillo does not include a trigger and does not allow for continuous manipulation of discharge direction.
Portable pressurized sprayers, of the type commonly employed for garden and light industrial purposes, may be charged with water and pressurized by connection to a garden hose as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,782,982 and 4,930,664, both to Ellison. The devices disclosed are not intended for use while connected to a hose, only for charging thereby. Once charged the devices are disconnected from the hose and then hand carried. It might be possible to discharge water from the devices while still connected to a hose, but the nozzle portions are not supported for directional manipulation on a base.
Water discharging toys and amusement devices are generally known to be of a popular and commercially valuable product category. The patent record demonstrates and reflects the constant development efforts made in pursuit of such products, as well as the sometimes small incremental changes that are deemed by patent applicants to be of commercial value. In consideration of the large volume of known water toys, amusement devices and similar fluid dispensing or discharging devices, the prior art appears to be lacking with respect to a toy squirt gun supported on a stand and connected to a garden hose as disclosed herein. The present invention provides valuable developments, some subtle, some more clearly apparent, in this field.